Percussive spinning toy



March 3o,- 1937. c. L. KEE

PERCUSSIVE SPINNING TOY Filed sept. 9, 193e Patented Mar. 30, 1937 PERCUSSIVE SPINNING TOY Charles L. Kee, Portsmouth, Va., assignor, by direct and mesne assignments, to William H. Finckel, Jr., trustee, Washington, D. C.-

Application September 9, 1936, Serial No. 99,982v

l2 Claims.

This linvention relates to a spinning toy, and particularly to a percussive or detonating top.

The object of the invention is to provide in a top of the kind referred to, in which a percussion cap or other charge of detonating material is used t'o cause a detonationwhen the top is projected against a surface in the act of spinning, means for guarding the child, or other person using the top, from injury by the flame of the exploding cap and, at the same time, enhancing the spinning, attractive and practical characteristics of thetop, as will be explained later in more detail. The invention contemplates, in a broad sense, a' spinning toy having a stem upon which it may be supported while spinning, the stem beingprovided with complemental disks normally resiliently maintained in surface contact but relatively separable, one of said disks being provided with a peripheral ange preferably encircling the periphery of the other disk, as will be described hereinafter more fully and finally claimed.

In the accompanying drawing illustrating the invention, in the several figures of which like parts are similarly designated, Figure 1 is a perspective view of a preferred embodiment of the invention.

Fig. 2 is an axial sectional elevation of the form of the invention illustrated in Fig. 1, and showing also a nail or the like member upon which the initial spinning may be imparted to the toy.,

Fig. 3 is a plan view of the toy illustrating a modied form of resilient means for maintaining the complemental disks in surface contact.

Fig. 4 is a side elevation of the embodiment shown in Fig. 3.

Figs. 5 and 6 illustrate, in axial section. two modified forms of flanged disks.

As will be apparent particularly from an 1nspection of Fig. 2, the toy includes a stem I having a spinning end or point 2 and twice reduced in diameter as indicated at 3 and 4, to provide stop shoulders 5 and 6, respectively. Upon the shoulder 5 is seated a disk I having an axial opening 8 of such size as to provide a press t upon the reduced portion 3 of the stem to thus fix it thereon against the shoulder 5.

Superposed upon the disk I is a complemental -disk 9 preferably of larger diameter and having an axial opening I suiciently larger than the diameter of the portion 3 of the stem to permit tipping of the disk, as indicated in broken lines (Fig. 2). This disk 9 has a peripheral ange II encircling the periphery of the disk 'I and ofl such substantially axial extent as to serve the purposes hereinafter particularly referred to.

The disks l and 9 are normally maintained in (Cl. i6-17 6) surface contact by a helical spring I2 which bears against the outer surface of the disk 9 and against a' stop member I3 seated against the shoulder 6 and fixed upon the stem by hanging over or upsetting upon it the barrel of an eyelet-like extension I4 formed as a part of the reduced portion 4 by the central bore I5 which is'provided for the reception of the nail I6 or other similar member used while initial spinning is imparted to the toy.

Instead of using the helical spring I2 and stop member I3 for providing resilient pressure upon the disk 9, a sheet-metalmember having spring fingers I1 may be employed, as shown in Figs. 3 and 4, thusgiurnishing an equally efficient pressure-applying means and, at the same time, simplifying the construction of the toy, reducing the number of its parts, facilitating its assembly and lessening the cost of production. As will be apparent, this sheet-metal spring-fingered member maybe secured to the stem in the same manner as is the stop member I3.

If desired, the cost of production may be still further reduced by forming the disk 9 of relatively thin gage sheet metal, as shown in Figs. and 6, appropriate means being employed for imparting the requisite Weight and stiffness to disks thus formed.

In Fig. 5, the thin disk 9a has an axial opening Illa and a peripheral flange II a, and the desired weight and stiffness are imparted by an annulus I8, such as a metallic washer, spot-welded or otherwise secured to its upper or exposed surface.

In Fig. 6, the thin disk 9b has a periph-eral flange IIb, and its web is annularly depressed at I9 to form a recess for the reception oi weighting material I9', such as lead. Moreover, the depression I9 provides a collet 20 serving as a bearing surface at the axial opening'lb.

In operation, the nail I6, or the like, is inserted in the bore I5 and by grasping it and the upper portion of the stem in the fingers, the thumb may be used to tilt the disk 9, as indicated in broken lines in Fig. 2, so that a percussion cap or other charge of detonating material can be inserted between the adjacent faces of the disks 'I and 9. Then the disk 9 is permitted to return to its normal position in surface contact with the disk 'I and a string is wound upon the stem I below disk 1. By projecting the toy from the nail I6 and simultaneously Whipping off the string, the toy will be spun and upon striking a surface of suitably hard character the percussion of the disks 'l and 9 will explode the cap or similar detonating charge.

In mentioning a surface of suitably hard charcussion caps or the' like willV not be' 1`eXpl `Ijvded` when the top is projected against surfacesordinarily found indoors, but will operate to explode the caps or the like upon impact against surfaces ordinarily found out of doors.

It is known that detonating tops, so called, are

not new, but it is not knownfthat these tops have heretofore been provided with flanged disks similar to and having the functional characteristics of the disks 9, 9a Ql719bf1-constituting the primary feature of the present invention.

The ange Il, lla or IIb, has a numberof advantages, among the most important of which may be mentioned the followingz-It prevents sparks and re incident to explosion of the percussion cap or similar detonating charge from flying out radially to any marked extent, thus preventing burning of the operator or, offbystanders or passersby. It prevents an inserted cap or charge from ying out from between the disks during initial spinning ofthe toy. If an inserted cap shouldprojectvslightly fromY between the disks 'l and 9, it will prevent the spinning string from pulling it from between the disks. Inasmuch as its outer surface is not smutted by explosion of the detonating material, the users lingers will not be soiledin handling the toy. Naturally, upon explosion of the detonating charge, the toy will be caused to jump in the air, and the flange, by directing the gases of combustion downwardly, will tend to accentuate 40 this jumping action.

Obviously, the device is, primarily, a toy, but

it is susceptible of manufacture, particularly in large quantities, at such low cost that it lends itself readily to use as an advertising medium, it being apparent that its disks present relatively large areas for the reception of advertising matter.

Various changes and modifications are considered to be within the spirit of the invention and the scope ofy the following claims.

What I claimV is:-

l. A spinning toy, comprising a stem providing @the rotative axial support for the toy While spin- -and movablewithrelation thereto substantially aXially'of said stem to permit insertion of a det- .,onating charge between the disks, said movable disk provided with aV peripheral flange encircling I'the periphery of said fixed disk, and resilient means reacting between said stem andvmovable diskr for normally' maintaining said disks Yin surface contact, said flange serving to limit radial emission of and to downwardly` direct flame and gas incidentV to explosion of said charge caused by percussion of said disks in the actof spinning the toy.

2. A spinning toy, comprising a stem providing the rotative axial support for the toy while spinning, a pair. of disks carried by said stem and relatively separable to accommodate between them a charge of detonating material, and resilient means for normally maintaining said disks in surface Contact, one of said disks provided with a peripheral flange arranged to enclose the periphery of the other disk, said flange serving to limit direct radial emission of ame and' gas from between said disks upon explosion of said detonating material caused by percussion of said disks in the act of spinning said toy.

, CHARLES L. KEE. 

